Marine engineering

ferrarienzo

I am thinking of doing marine engineering next year in nmci and i am wondering is it a good course to do

quietsailor

Hey Ferrarienzo,

I studied Marine Engineering and qualified back in 1996 (yeah long time ago). I'm back studying Energy Engineering in UCC - renewables and plant efficencies - and I have to say Marine Engineering is probably the best grounding you will ever get if you intend to follow a path in Engineering that involves machinery. - That sounds obvious doesn't it, but most Engineering courses are academic now - all book work. Even the Institute of Technologies Engineering courses are going that way. Marine Engineering really set me up to understand machinery - both when I came back working in the pharmaceutical industry and now in UCC

Don't think it's easy just because the requirements are low compared to other engineering courses - there was in my time, and still appears to be, an interview to be passed as well as the points requirement. I had people in my year in secondary school who weren't chosen even though they had higher points than I had.

You'll get a very good grounding in electrical systems, if there is still an electrical workshop being held you'll be expected to wire up systems in 3rd year.

You'll be taught welding, manual metalworking (filing etc) milling machine and lathe work.

There is a simulator whch is basically a ship's engine room inside a building :cool: In the old CIT engine workshop we had to strip and re-assemble machinery (water pumps, compressors, engines etc) and had to prove they worked afterwards. I don't think there is any other engineering course in Ireland like this. - Oh and we're talking about real engines here The pistons in the biggest engine are 200mm in diameter, a car piston would be -- what 50mm each?

Here's a few links to give you some ideas.

The engine room of the NMCI itself
http://www.raco.ie/signalpdfs/3_1_academyexell.pdf

The Institute of Marine Engineers - browse around this site, it is the main professional body for Marine Engineers
http://www.imarest.org/

Ship life itself is hard enough but interesting. I was lucky enough to work with companies that sailed a lot in South America, that part of the world really likes the Irish so I had a great time. I worked in 4 different compies over 8 years and enjoyed every ship, although some were better than the others.

If you've more questions feel free to ask - either on here or PM me.

japasca

Hello,

I'd also recommend doing this course if you think you would be able for the time away from home. I studied Engineering in UL and work with Maersk Drilling now. When i was applying for my current job they were looking specifically for Marine engineers and i was only considered due to previous work experience i had.
I think it would be a good move, especially if you want to work out of Ireland!

ferrarienzo

thanks very much

quietsailor

I don't know if Japasca is the same on drill rigs but when I worked on ships I was in a 4 months on / 2 months off rotation. I was out of the country for more than 6 months in every year so I qualified for "non resident for tax purposes" status with the revenue - basically I declared all my income and because I was out of the country enough I didn't have to pay tax. This means if your already reasonably good wage* when you qualify as an ENGINEER** is tax free.


* = I'm out of the industry since 2003 so I don't know the rates now. Back then a good company was paying 16-20,000 stg for 8 months work. Factor in currency conversion rates and the fact it's tax free and you'd have to be earning over 40,000 euros in Ireland to get the same take home pay. --- Just get an accountant from the start though - it's easier and your not going to be fighting the revenue if you suddenly appear in Ireland buying a house after 6 years at sea and they want to know where you got the money from.

** = Once you finish college you still need to get 9 months experience as a cadet (apprentice) on a ship then sit 2 Dept of Marine exams before your considered a qualified Marine Engineer.

Is Marine Eng a level 7 or 8 degree these days? One thing I will warn you about is that Marine Engineering isn't widely know in HR departments. So in 10-15 years time if you apply for a job shoreside you might find it hard to get someone who understands your qualifications. It might be worth looking into an Open University course - distance learning and top up your level 7 to something like a level 8 Mechanical Engineering degree. That way you've a level 8 degree and sh** loads of hands on experience. The degree will get you past the HR people and then the experience will get you a job when your interviewed by another engineer.
I still would say go to sea - it's one of the most practical engineering courses in the world, you'll travel and see places. If you decide to work on cruise ships for a while (I would advise getting experience in normal Mechant Nav ships first) it will literaly be one long party on board. The best of both worlds really